Vactor stars on TV show Mega Machines

There are big machines, and then there's Mega Machines.

When the producers of the cable television program Mega Machines began looking for the biggest sewer cleaner they could find last year, the result was national exposure for a Vactor 2100 sewer cleaner, its owner and a longtime Vactor dealer. The show with the Vactor segment was on the TLC cable network in early December 2003.

Nick Perlmuter, the supervising producer of Mega Machines, had seen a sewer cleaner on the road and asked an intern to do online research and find the largest machine he could. The research led them to contact Steve Ulm, Vactor product manager with Federal Signal Corp. The television producers wanted to identify a location near Los Angeles to film a Vactor in action.

Ulm called Bill Haaker of Haaker Equipment in LaVerne, Calif., a Vactor dealer since 1972. In the spring of 2003, Haaker sold a Vactor 2100 to the City of Big Bear Lake, in the San Bernardino Mountains about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. Big Bear Lake is a ski resort community with a pristine lake where the tourist trade is vital to the local economy.

John Lundin, Sanitation Supervisor for Big Bear Lake, coordinated filming of the Vactor segment, which was done in one day. The TV crew shot several other segments for the program with host Tony Siragusa, former NFL football star, in Big Bear Lake over a week's time. "This area provides a scenic backdrop that's often used for movies and television, so they wanted to take advantage of it," says Lundin. "We also provided a loader/backhoe, grader and dump truck for them to use in the show."

Two of John's employees, Tony Valdez and Jason Watterson, also appeared on the show. "Every now and then, people recognize us from TV, especially if a couple of us are together," says Lundin. "You'll see them looking at you kind of funny, like they're trying to remember where they've seen you before. They might say, ‘Hey, didn't I see you on TV?' or comments like that."

Haaker got similar treatment, but in an unusual locale. He was in Belize, Central America, on vacation the week after the show first aired. Haaker's group met three sport-fishing guides in Belize, and the guides recognized him from the program. "They said something like ‘You were on TV last week, weren't you?'" Haaker recalled. "That shocked me. Even in Belize, they get American TV and recognized me from Mega Machines."

Big Bear Lake's year-round population is about 20,000, but that can swell to a half-million during ski season. The city has 200 miles of sewer line to clean and maintain. "We have to clean 20 miles of sewer line every year. That's why we need the Vactor," said Lundin. "We use it year-round, but more so in the spring when there's a lull in tourist traffic.

"We try to run the best, most professional operation. I take pride in the job we do. We spent two days cleaning and polishing the Vactor before the filming," Lundin added.

Lundin says he knew for some time that they wanted a Vactor, and he earmarked part of his department's budget to purchase it, which they did in the summer of 2003. "With the blower and the accessories we needed, it's a major investment for a city of our size, and it's worth it," Lundin said. "It lets us do the best job to keep Big Bear Lake's sewers running smoothly."

And to keep tourists, and television producers, coming back.